The next morning, Rogue woke up in slighter better spirits than she had in a long time. She still ached to think about Scott, but deep down she had seen that he did care for her and that was more than she had allowed herself to hope for before. They had reached a good resolution and like Irene used to tell her -life went on. Sniffing and taking notice of the dark circles around her eyes from all her last minute cramming, Rogue sniffed and penciled in more eyeliner than she normally did and vowed to get even with Logan for getting her sick.
Muttering a stiff good morning to the room, Rogue took her breakfast and sat down with her headphones on. Exchanging a warm smile with Scott, she offered Logan a look that could kill and proceeded to eat in silence, ignoring everybody else. When everyone was done and clearing the table, Rogue finally spoke up.
"Storm, can I please have my keys now?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks at the unfamiliar sound of Rogue's voice. Only Logan seemed unfazed.
"Sure, Logan has them."
Turning to Logan, Rogue did little to hide her dislike of him as she impatiently extended her hand. He just raised an eyebrow and dug in his pants. Snatching them from his hand, she was halfway gone when he called from the table,
"Four o'clock sharp." Pausing to take a sip of coffee, Logan added with a smile, " In the gym."
Clutching her bookbag a little tighter Rogue ground her teeth together without turning around and hurried off.
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At exactly one minute after four, Logan burst through Rogue's door. Gasping in shock, Rogue quickly removed her headphones and sat up in her bed.
"What tha hell is wrong with you, can't you knock?"
Not stopping to look at her, Logan strode over to where Rogue's bookbag was and dumped it's contents on the bed. Rogue went to stop him, but one look from him made her stop where she was. Her only weapon was to whine.
"Hey!…….You have no right to go through my things, jerk!!"
Not pausing to pay her any mind, Logan rummaged through the things until he found what he was looking for. Holding up a contact lens case, he turned to face a suddenly petrified Rogue. Crossing her arms over her chest she flustered under his gaze. He leaned in real close and Rogue knew that he could smell the vodka in her breath.
Logan stared at her mercilessly and Rogue knew she was in deep trouble now. Swallowing her pride, Rogue changed tactics and begged.
"Please don't tell tha Professor. Ah need only three weeks."
Logan's only answer was to tighten his lips and cross his heavily muscled arms.
Moving in closer, Rogue put a hand on his shoulder. Logan's jaw twitched.
"Ah didn't take any, ah swear. Ah took ah drink instead."
Placing her other hand on Logan's arm, Rogue's voice got more shrill as she saw that Logan was unmoving. There were tears in her eyes and Logan found himself lost in the green pools while she insisted,
"It was ah really hard day but Ah promise you Logan, Ah didn't take any."
Realizing that he was now finding it hard to breathe, Logan stepped back suddenly, so that her hands dropped between them. He slowly held up the plastic case.
"No more."
Mesmerized by the little white case, Rogue nodded solemnly, "No more."
Taking a rumpled tissue from the pile of things on the bed, Logan handed it to Rogue, who was turning redder by the minute.
"The gym in a half-hour."
Rogue nodded quietly into the now empty room. Blowing her nose, she slowly cleaned up the mess on the bed, changed into a leotard and sweats and slowly made her way to the gym. Walking in much more timidly than when she did the day before, Rogue meandered over to where Logan was siting on a mat. Wondering if he would start teaching her death grips right away, Rogue was beyond pleased when he simply pointed to the pillow in front of him and asked her to take off her sneakers.
They spent two hours practicing yoga stretches and meditation techniques. Rogue was naturally flexible so she took to the poses easier than most, but her balance was terrible. She would hold a one legged pose for all of two seconds before tipping over. She felt odd being so close with big, scary Logan, but after a while, she grew accustomed to his silence and she felt more at ease at the feel of his hands guiding her body.
When the two hours were up, Logan simply said he'll see her tomorrow and Rogue nodded silently. Grabbing her sneakers, she made her way to her room again where she finished cramming for finals to classes she had ignored all year. She woke up the next day pressed face down in her books. It became a routine; she went to school, took finals, came home, worked out with Logan and studied after dinner until late at night. By Saturday, Rogue was exhausted and when Storm came to wake her at mid-day, she felt more than a little sick. But it was hard to put anything past the intuitive Storm. In the few days that she had known her, Rogue had grown immensely fond of the African beauty.
"Does this have anything to do with the Prom tonight?"
Immediately defensive, Rogue shook her head in flat out denial. "No, Ah just don't feel too good."
Smiling knowingly, Storm crossed her hands on her lap, "I understand."
Looking up, Rogue looked at her graceful friend with suspicion. "Ah'm just not interesting in things like that."
Smiling gently, Storm agreed silently.
Now sitting up, Rogue continued her defense, "It's just an over-priced, over-hyped party chaperoned by math teachers and used as an excuse to sell ridiculous taffeta nightmares and push teen movies. Ah don't see why people bother."
Realizing she just overreacted big time, Rogue sat back against her headboard and fumed while Storm considered her carefully.
"So why do you want to go?"
Wrapping her arms around herself, Rogue sighed heavily, and took a long time to answer, "The person Ah wanted to go with, is going with someone else. Ah just won't fit in."
Realizing as much, Storm folded her delicate hands. "Perhaps you should go and make it your own."